FFX-3: Legacy
by Fuzzyfezz
Summary: When Lumina, daughter of Tidus and Yuna, visits the reconstructed city of New Zanarkand intending to revive the once famous Abes Blitzball Team; she is hit with a stark dose of reality. The City That Never Sleeps is filled with treachery and rebellion. Can the sport that once brought Spira such joy, reunite a city in turmoil? This is Lumina's story.
1. Prologue

**Hey readers! So allow me to explain my reasons for creating this story. I recently purchased the FFX HD edition and remembered why I love this game so much! However, listening to the audio drama for "FFX-3" I thought it was absolute garbage, so I decided to create me own version of X-3! **

**This chapter is kind of a Beta-Test if you will. I want to gauge reader reviews/follows before I decide to continue. So as you read please, please, please leave your opinions, love it or hate it! I don't care I want to hear either one!**

**I do hope you enjoy tho as I have plenty of plans to take this story far!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Will you sit down and breathe for a minute?! You're gonna wear out the carpet, ya?"

Tidus groaned audibly and dropped down beside his best friend Wakka, ducking his head between his trembling legs. Wakka gave the blonde, spiky haired young man a queer look before releasing a loud, bellowing laugh.

"Man, you look more nervous than a newbie during his first qualifying match!" Wakka teased, mussing Tidus's already messy hair with his large hand.

"How were you _not_ as nervous as I am now!?" Tidus retaliated, his voice taking on the hint of a whine. Wakka smiled gently, closing his eyes and musing to himself as if reliving a fond memory. "I was brudda, believe me. It's just funny to see it happening to you too."

Tidus frowned, unimpressed by his friend's lack of sympathy. He glanced briefly at the thin tapestry that segregated himself and Wakka from the…._'proceedings'_ occurring in the next room.

"Should we go in there? I mean just to check? It's been a long time," Tidus began to babble nervously.

"Nah," Wakka waved his hand dismissively. "Lu's got it under control, she's an old pro at stuff like this."

"Wakka?" Tidus began again after a few minutes of nervous leg shaking. "What if I'm not good enough?"

"Huh? What are ya talkin' about?"

"I don't know," Tidus rubbed his face vigorously with his hands, causing spots to dance in front of his eyes. "I just keep thinking about Jecht. My old man….He sure wasn't a great example. I don't know if I'm gonna be good enough. I don't know what a good father's supposed to be!"

"Sure ya do!" Wakka proclaimed, grinning widely. "It doesn't matter than your own father wasn't there to give you advice. You are a good man, Tidus. A good man knows how to treat other people and how to be a leader. That's all you need to teach your little one, ya?"

Tidus clenched his jaw tightly, curbing the desire to engulf his friend with a giant bear hug.

" 'Sides," Wakka continued, crossing his burly arms over his even bigger chest. "My parents died when I was little, ya? I've still done a pretty good job of raisin' Vidina, dontcha think?"

Tidus nodded solemnly, lacking a retort that was befitting his usual buoyancy. Wakka's six-year old son was quite an interesting character. In shape and voice he resembled Wakka to a tee, however he was a very serious child, with an already an unusually strong sense of good behavior and responsibility. Either Lulu's parenting was unequivocally matched, or her somber personality was strong enough to pass on through genetics. _Probably both_, Tidus decided, picturing the former Black Mage in his mind's eye.

His reverie was interrupted as Wakka slapped him on the back encouragingly, sending him lurching forward and barely managing to catch himself before he faceplanted on the floor. "Just wait till you see the little guy's face. It's gonna change your whole world."

Tidus swallowed even more nervously than before, "Yeah?"

Wakka nodded, smiling melancholically, "Yeah brudda. When you see his eyes, or touch his little hand for the first time…You realize just how much you could love somethin'."

Tidus decided to ignore the fact that it was bizarre to hear his brutish buddy speaking so sappily, and instead tried to convince himself that when the moment did come; he would feel the same.

There was a soft rustle of fabric and Lulu appeared in the doorway when the roughspun, rug was hung, "She's ready to see you now. Come."

Tidus felt as if his stomach had just dropped out of his body. He stood on legs that felt as if made of water and made his way shakily towards Lulu who, for once, was gracing him with a tender smile. He shuffled his way past her, finding his way to meet her intense ruby gaze for reassurance. She nodded at him, that tiny smile still curving her dark, purple lips. Tidus took one last breath to steady himself and crossed the threshold to enter the room.

She lay on a bed covered with ornate quilts (donated by various Besaid citizens Tidus knew) pressed up against the far wall. She cradled a tiny, white bundle in her arms, too small for Tidus to see clearly what the person that existed inside it looked like from where he stood.

She looked up at the sound of his entrance and smiled brightly as their eyes met, "Tidus."

Feeling a wave of strengthening relief wash through him at the sound of her voice, he hurried to the bedside and knelt beside it, wrapping one arm around her small shoulders and pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Yuna," he breathed, drawing back to examine her face. She looked tired; her skin was more pale than usual and her eyes had dark, shadows beneath them; but a brilliant smile was making her face glow more brightly than he had ever seen before. "Is everything ok? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, in spite of her fatigued appearance. "Are you ready to meet her?"

"Yeah," Tidus nodded slowly, leaning forward to get a better look at what lay nestled inside the bundle in Yuna's arms. "Wait! It's a girl?!"

Yuna nodded, tilting her head to the side apprehensively, "You're not…disappointed are you?"

"No! Nononononononono!" Tidus scrambled to regain his composure. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I guess I just had myself convinced it'd be a boy that I could teach to play Bliztball, like…. Like my old man."

"What makes you think that she won't want to play?" Yuna retorted, cocking an eyebrow at him. Tidus felt his face turning red, "She could! I mean that'd be fine! Awesome, I mean. I didn't mean—Ugh…I'm a mess right now, I'm sorry."

Yuna giggled and leaned forward to peck him on the cheek. He smiled apologetically at her before reaching forward and adjusting the fabric of the bundle in order to finally catch a glimpse of his new daughter. The baby had a small, pink face with large, plump cheeks and a tiny button nose. A thick fuzz of dark, brown hair covered her head, matching long dark lashes that fluttered lightly as she slept. Tidus felt an enormous wave of awe and affection fill him.

"She looks just like you," he found himself murmuring as he reached out to brush her fat cheeks with the tips of his fingers. The moment he made contact the baby girl opened her eyes to reveal bright blue irises, the color of a summer ocean.

"But she has your eyes," Yuna added causing Tidus to grin unabashedly. The baby's bright eyes met Tidus' own and in that moment he knew that what Wakka said had been true. He wanted nothing more than to teach this little girl everything he knew about life. He wanted to protect her and make her laugh with his silly antics. He wanted her to achieve whatever it was she set out to do with her life.

"We still have to name her," Yuna prodded gently, recalling Tidus from his thoughts. He nodded and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "Man, I was so prepared for a boy that I don't think I really considered any girls names."

He adjusted himself to sit on the edge of the bed and gazed hard at the girl in the bundle who's bright, azure eyes were still trained on him.

"What about…Lumina?" he suggested. Yuna looked up at him, inquisitive, "How did you come up with that?"

"Well," he began a bit sheepishly. "I guess it's cause of her eyes. They're luminescent. Gods, is that super cheesy?"

Yuna smiled at him, "No. I think it's perfect." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders once more and leaned down, kissing her gently.

"Do you think we're ready to do this?" He asked when they separated, still nervous about the prospect of parenthood.

"I'm not sure," Yuna admitted, pausing for a moment to contemplate. Finally she leaned against him with a sigh, "But being unprepared….Well, that's never stopped us before."

Tidus laughed in agreement. Playing with Lumina's stubby, little fingers he murmured, "Welcome to Spira, Lumina."

The couple watched their baby gurgle quietly for a few minutes more before Wakka's booming voice made its way through the fabric doorway, "Can we come in yet? I'm dyin' out here!"

"Come in!" Tidus replied, laughing. "Come meet Lumina."

* * *

**2 weeks old…**

The crying broke through Tidus' restless sleep for what must have been the thousandth time in one week. Lumina wasn't fussy much during the daylight hours, but the minute darkness came she collapsed into a ball of screams and tears that went on for unpredictable amounts of time several times a night. It was always Yuna or Lulu (who had offered to stay with the new parents in their own cabin a couple nights a week in order to provide veteran assistance), who elected to get up and calm the child. Tidus felt guilty for letting the women do all of the hard work while he mainly played with Lumina during the day, only occasionally assigned to diaper duty. By the same token, he was also grateful he had managed to escape nighttime calming sessions up to this point; chiefly because he had no idea what it would take to put Lumina back to sleep. Tidus was already unconfident in his parenting abilities, but even Yuna seemed to have difficulties comforting the weeping child on particularly brutal nights. Only Lulu seemed to have the magic touch that would put the baby girl back to sleep within minutes. In fact, Tidus hadn't yet ruled out that she wasn't indeed using some sort of sleep spell to achieve her ends.

This particular night, however, Tidus was forced to face his fears. As soon as Lumina's cries filled the small cabin, Tidus tensed, waiting for Lulu to rise from her makeshift cot and allow them another hour of sleep. It took him a moment before he realized that tonight was not one of the night's Lulu had agreed to stay with them. Eyes widening at the realization, he rolled over to look at Yuna who was buried deep in their blankets, stirring slightly, but obviously reluctant to rise. As guilt overcame him, Tidus got up from the bed, whispering, "I got it" and crossed the floor of their tiny cabin to stand next to the woven, wooden crib in which Lumina was squirming, angry tears dripping from her blue eyes. Gently he reached down and cradled her in his arms, taking extra care to support her head as per Yuna's instructions.

"Hey, Lumina," he cooed softly. "Hey, calm down now. Everything's ok. Go to sleep."

Lumina's cries seemed only to worsen as he continued to murmur senseless nothings to her. He wondered fleetingly if he had been this fussy as a child. Suddenly, an idea came to him, born from the memories of his own childhood. He carried Lumina to the window and stood directly in the middle of the silver, pool of moonlight that spilled through it. There, he cleared his throat and began to hum the best impression he could of the Hymn of the Fayth. During his life in Zanarkand, Tidus had always hummed the song to calm himself; and when he rediscovered the music in Spira, listening to it being sung by the Fayth themselves had achieved the same hypnotic affect.

As he hummed steadily, Lumina's teary eyes trained themselves on his face and her cries lessened until they eventually ceased all together. Cheering in silent victory, Tidus continued to hum the song, rocking Lumina gently as he had seen Yuna and Lulu do countless times. Lumina's eyelids began to droop, her long dark lashes fluttering up and down rapidly as she struggled to remain conscious.

Tidus remained by the window with her, humming until he was certain that she was asleep, before returning her gently to the crib and tucking a warm blanket around her. He tiptoed back across the cabin floor, avoiding the loose, squeaky floorboard, and crawled back into his own bed, grinning from ear to ear as he adjusted his pillows. Yuna rolled over to face him, eyes still closed as she asked sleepily, "Is she ok?"

"She's good," Tidus responded, smile widening as Yuna scooted closer and snuggled against his side. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her hair whispering, "Ya know what? I think we can do this."

* * *

**1 year old…**

"C'mon Yuna the beach is the perfect place to really let her test her walk! If she falls, the sand is nice and soft." Tidus didn't wait for his wife's reply as he scooped Lumina up in his arms and hurried out the door.

"Tidus!" Yuna looked worried, but Lulu gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder, smiling and murmuring, "He's right you know. I know it seems unorthodox, but Wakka did the same thing with Vidina and now I can't get that boy off the beach."

"That's what I'm worried about," Yuna grumbled a bit sullenly. Nonetheless, she relented and followed Tidus to the beach, Lulu in tow with a reserved seven-year-old Vidina.

"Alright Lumina, today's the big day!"

By the time Yuna and Lulu caught up to Tidus he was well underway with his inspirational pep talk.

"Yuna!" Tidus beckoned when he saw them arrive. "Come over here, I need your help."

Tidus knelt on the white sand, standing Lumina on her tip toes with gentle hands; the baby was babbling gleefully, clueless as to what was expected of her at this crucial moment. Yuna knelt opposite of them and stretched out her arms, calling Lumina to her with an enthusiastically. The little girl blinked at her mother with large, sparkling eyes before carefully placing one pudgy foot out on the sand in front of her.

"Great!" Tidus cheered supporting her less and less as she took more steps away from him. "Keep going!"

With a final shaky step, she fell into Yuna's arms and giggled excitedly when her parents praised her lavishly.

Lulu watched from a distance as the young couple excitedly began the process over again. Vidina stood by her side observing quietly. The Black Mage gave her son a fond look before placing a hand on his orange, spiky haired head and murmuring, "I want you to do something very important for me Vidina."

The boy looked up at her with large, brown eyes, "Yeah, ma?"

"I need you to look out for Lumina as she grows up. You are much older than her and you must be sure to guide her. Will you do that for me?"

Vidina nodded as seriously as if he were making a solemn oath, "I'll look out for her, promise."

"Good boy," Lulu praised as she turned her attention back to the small family on the beach. _That little girl will need Guardians of her own. Her parents' legacy could easily cause her more pain than glory._

* * *

_5 years old…_

"Alright team, let's break for lunch. Meet back here in an hour." Tidus made his announcement to the team of exhausted Aurochs before turning towards the forest pathway that led back into town. Since his return to Besaid five years ago, he had replaced Wakka as Captain of the Besaid Aurochs. At first, he had allowed the team easy and occasional practices as he was more distracted with adjusting to life on the island again and then Lumina had been born and he had spent the majority of his time with her. However, now the time was right for him to turn the Aurochs into a respectable team and he planned to make it to the Spira National Cup match that was scheduled to take place in Luca four years from now. It seemed like plenty of time, but Tidus had a feeling it would be barely enough to turn his ragtag team of islanders into national pros. As he approached the wooded path, he registered two people walking towards him. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was Yuna, followed closely by Rikku who carried her own three-year-old, Calli, in her arms. Tidus was about to call out and ask where Lumina was, when he saw the endless ball of energy that was his daughter, barreling past the two women and coming straight for him.

"Papa!" she called as she leapt wildly into the air, flying into his open arms and knocking them both to the ground in a heap of giggles.

"Wow," Rikku exclaimed as they approached the wrestling pair. "I think yours has more energy than mine!"

Yuna smiled at her cousin, "I might be inclined to agree with you."

Rikku knelt down, allowing Calli to stumble towards Lumina and Tidus, falling on top of the pile to join in the fun.

"Oh Yunie!" Rikku squealed as she watched the chaos. "This is so cute! Babies on the beach!"

"Who you callin' a baby?" Tidus snorted, finally managing to right himself as the girls became distracted by a stray bliztball that lay nearby.

"Well I was referring to the little girls," Rikku replied, placing her hands on her hip. "But now that you mention it…."

"Alright, twerp," Tidus rose to his feet, grinning ruefully and preparing to tackle the Al Bhed as well, when Lumina tugged on his pant leg to draw his attention.

"Papa, will you teach me to throw a Bliztball?"

Tidus looked down to see his daughter struggling to offer him the hefty ball, her expression earnest and hopeful.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, thrilled that his dream passing on his love for the sport might actually come to fruition. Taking the ball out of Lumina's tiny hands, he ordered her to stay where she was, while he took a large step back. Kneeling so as to reduce the possible velocity of the ball, he tossed a gentle, underhanded pass that caught Lumina right in the chest, knocking her unceremoniously into the sand. Before either of her parents could move to assist her, the brown haired girl scrambled to her feet, a large smile filling up her face, "My turn!"

Tidus laughed loudly, crouching low and reaching for the ball when Lumina tossed it feebly through the air. Calli watched from her mother's side, sucking on her own thumb amiably. The game of toss continued, eventually drawing the attention of the returning Blitzers, including Vidina who often spent the majority of his time playing with the team despite the fact that he was too young to become an official member. He too, helped in giving Lumina advice on her throw and offered to set her on her feet when the ball knocker her over again. She seemed determined to succeed on her own, however, and pushed aside his attempts to set her upright, deigning instead to struggle to her feet by her own volition. As the game continued, Tidus was sure he'd never been more proud of the determination his little girl showed that day. Needless to say, not much more official team practice was conducted that afternoon.

* * *

**9 years old…**

"You keepin' up?"

"Yeah," was the only response Lumina could muster since all of the oxygen seemed to have left her body miles ago. Her father jogged a few paces ahead of her, his figure difficult to make out in the early morning darkness. The sand along the shoreline pulled at her shoes, making every step feel as heavy as a rock.

"It's important for a Blizter to be a strong runner. It's good practice for breath control and endurance," he'd told her when she began training with him a few months prior. She was becoming a decent swimmer as well, although her mother didn't like her to go out past the docks when she was swimming in the ocean, even if Vidina or her father was with her.

"Hey, we gotta hurry!" Tidus exclaimed suddenly. "We're gonna miss the sunrise if we don't make it to Gull Hill in time!"

He began to jog faster, the sand kicked up from his heels and hit Lumina in the face, sending her spluttering and veering off course. Upon wiping the grime from her eyes she looked up to see her father already across the beach and charging up the stone steps to reach the top of the hill. A fire of pure will and determination charged her lead-filled legs and she hurtled after him, pushing herself past pain and weariness. She needed to see that sunrise, it was the best part of their morning runs; and it would be the last one they would see together before the Nationals Match. It was a special sunrise and she could not miss it. When she finally reached Gull Hill, Tidus was already there sitting at the top, cross legged and still as if in deep meditation. She jogged up beside him and collapsed struggling to catch her breath, leaning against her father's shoulder for support. He grinned and mussed her hair affectionately, "You're getting better and better the more we practice, squirt. You're gonna be an excellent Blizter someday."

Lumina felt her exhaustion drain away quick as the tide as his words of praise filled her with joy. The two sat in peaceful silence, watching as the golden sun slowly began to leak through the morning clouds, painting the sky a rosy, pink as if the sky were catching fire. Lumina looked up at her father, the sun illuminating his bronzed skin and highlighting his spiky, golden hair. He had always looked like a legendary hero to her, even before she had learned of the long journey he had gone on to become a powerful Guardian.

"Papa? Are you worried about the match tomorrow?"

He grinned at her, shoving her lightly in the shoulder as he spoke, "Of course not! Are you doubting your old man now?"

She shook her head furiously, her short brown hair flopping around her ears, "No! But Vidina told me the Luca Goers are a really tough team."

"Ahh Vidina's always been a worry-wart," Tidus eschewed waving his hand as if to blow away the comment. "No one out there is tougher than your old man. But you have to promise to cheer for me, kay?"

"Yeah!" Lumina agreed. "I will!"

"As loud as you can?"

"Louder than I can!"

Tidus chuckled and reached behind his head, unclasping the lock that held his silver, chain necklace in place.

"Here," he said reaching around to hang it around Lumina's neck. "I think it's about time you started carrying this."

Lumina looked down, the sun made the small, finely crafted links sparkle brilliantly; and at the end of the necklace was the twisted, cross-like symbol her father always wore on the pants of his uniform.

"It's the symbol of our family," he told her placing a warm hand atop her head. "When you wear this, you carry our legacy. You think you're ready for that?"

Lumina nodded wordlessly, the lump of emotion in her throat making it impossible to construct a verbal response.

"Good," Tidus nodded solemnly, mussing her hair once more. "You wear that and I'll never be far away."

The two turned back towards the rising sun, enjoying the few moments they had together before the hectic atmosphere of the Championships would consume Tidus' attention.

"Alright! Let's go practice the Mark III Shot before your mom gets mad at us for sneaking out again!" Tidus leapt to his feet and charged back towards the beach, Lumina scrambling to her feet and loping after him.

* * *

The moment Lumina stepped of the Celsius airship and onto the streets of Luca, was one she would never forget. For nine years she had grown accustomed to the quiet and slow style of life branded on Besaid Island. The bustle of bodies and shouting and lights and smells and colors of the big city literally took her breath away. She stood motionless at the bottom of the airships drawbridge, so stimulated she was unsure of what sense to act on first. Yuna came to her rescue, taking her hand and leading her through the busy streets as Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, and Vidina formed a loose barricade around them. Lumina knew vaguely that her mother and father were well known, but it shocked her to see so many people turning to call her mother's name loudly, or point and stare as they walked by. Her normally bombastic demeanor became much more hushed as the attention began to overwhelm her. She walked closer to her mother's side whose hand tightened around hers reassuringly. Vidina was quickly at her side as well, offering Lumina an encouraging smile as they walked.

By the time they reached the stadium, Lumina was ready to jump out of her skin. She looked around anxiously, searching for her father in the sea of muscular, uniformed Blitzer's wandering to and fro. She heard his voice before she saw him, calling out to them and waving frantically as he shoved his way through the crowd. Lumina ran forward to meet him, jumping into his arms and burying her face into his shoulder.

"Hey there, squirt," he laughed carrying her back towards the others and greeting Yuna with a quick peck.

"How're the boys?" Wakka asked moving forward to clap Tidus on the back.

"Nervous," Tidus laughed. "But they'll be fine once they get into the water."

"You'd better knock those Goers out!" Rikku cheered, pumping her fists in the air.

"You got it!" Tidus gave her a thumbs up.

"Watch out for their ace," Vidina piped up, the fourteen-year-old gazed at Tidus admirably as he spoke. "His name's Greer and he's supposedly a really ruthless player. He gets away with a lot of penalty fouls too."

Her father patted Vidina on the shoulder, "I know about Greer. He's tough but he's got no real strategy, we'll waste him."

Vidina didn't look convinced but nodded quietly nonetheless.

"Well, I should get going," Tidus said as he glanced quickly at the clocktower. "Wish me luck everyone!"

"Be safe," Yuna murmured placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her and knelt to set Lumina on the ground, placing his hands on her shoulders as he did.

"You remember your promise to cheer for me?" he asked. She nodded fiercely, "Loud as I can."

"Louder."

She hugged him quickly, wrapping her skinny arms around his neck. He hugged her back, kissing her on the fore head before rising to his feet and waving to the group.

"Alright, catch ya guys after the game!" With that he turned on his heel and jogged back into the crowd.

"C'mon," RIkku said heading towards the stadium doors. "Let's find some good seats!"

* * *

(Optional Musical Accompaniment: watch?v=27k8SNx2U-k)

The game was intense. Lumina had watched her father practice with the Aurochs on the beach hundreds of times, but watching Bliztball be played in the giant water filled stadium was both a beautiful and terrifying experience. Water swirled around the players as they glided through the sphere, as graceful as dolphins. Tackles were fierce and a few players ended up leaving the stadium due to injuries. Lumina followed her father's plays on the large screen hung above the stadium.

The score was 4-3 in favor of the Goers at the end of the second quarter. Lumina knew it wouldn't be long before her father decided to pull out his signature move, the Magnificent Mark III Shot. In fact the moment she thought this, she saw him order the formation to his teammates as they prepared to set up the ball for him. Raff stole the ball from a Goer and began to swim vigorously towards Tidus. As he closed the distance, he threw it with all of his might, however his aim was off and Tidus had to adjust his position. Lumina knew that the Mark III would not be possible unless he could get above the water. What none of them saw was Greer, the Goers Ace, swimming at top speed from the opposite goal, coming directly for the ball. There was a flurry of bubbles as he collided with Tidus. Lumina could not see the details of the struggle through the swirling of the water; but suddenly there was a cry from the opposite side of the stadium and Lumina watched with horror as blood filled the water.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the screen cleared and Lumina was able to make out the figure of her father, floating lifelessly in the water a cloud of red billowing around his temple. Yuna hands flew to her mouth and Rikku let out a scream. Chaos erupted in the stadium and the screen flashed a warning message before going blank. A voice sounded over the loudspeaker asking patrons to remain calm as medics were called to assess the situation. Lumina could feel a scream erupting from within her throat as the impact of the situation finally registered in her brain. Before she could make a move to run to her father's aid, Vidina had her in his arms, carrying her towards the exit of the stadium as Wakka, Lulu, Rikku and her mother hurried towards the Sphere.

"No!" She shouted, punching Vidina with her tiny fists and struggling to escape his iron grip. "No! GO back! Go back! Vidina!"

Her blows had no effect on the boy's burly frame. He only gripped her tighter and moved faster towards the exit, shoving terrified crowd members out of his way.

"Go back! No!" Lumina's throat grew raw with her screams, tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision.

"PAPA!"

* * *

**Interested in a continuation? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Tryouts

**BOOM! Chapter two. This story is really going to take off from this point so Please REVIEW and let me know your opinions!**

**This story will also have musical accompaniments to add to the effect because I'm dramatic like that. I've left links above the paragraphs for which they are to be played, but it's up to you whether or not you want to listen while you read.**

**Thanks and see ya next chapter!**

* * *

_Made a vow I was gonna be_

_A Blitzer like my father in front of me_

_Give me that one perfect moment_

The blow to his head had killed him instantly, Lumina learned later. Vidina had been right to suspect the Luca's Ace of foul play. The player that had collided with him, Greer, had equipped himself with illegal, steel-tipped boots to increase the power of his kicks underwater. It had been a cheat designed to help them win the game, not to harm another player. Nonetheless, when those steel shoes had connected with Tidus head, the blow had been enough to take his life in an instant. Greer was banned from playing in any future official Bliztball matches and was sentenced to a short time in holding for his illegal actions, but the trial that had ensued hardly mattered to Lumina at all.

What mattered most to her now was that her hero was gone.

(Optional Musical Accompaniment: Stoic's Ship, HTTYD 2 Soundtrack: watch?v=eY49xEQGqMw)

Yuna was the one to perform his sending; carrying out her wondrous dance upon the beaches of Besaid as her father's body was laid out in a casket that floated upon the water. Lumina watched from the shore, clutching Lulu's skirts for comfort as she witnessed his body disintegrating into a cascade of shimmering pyreflies. The whole of Besaid had gathered to watch the ceremony as well, Wakka and Rikku at the forefront of the crowd neither one of them bothering to hide their grief as tears rolled freely down their faces. Vidina stood by Lumina's side as well, gazing solemnly at the scene that played out before them. She knew he was only acting strong though; the slight tremors than ran through his tense body betraying his misery. Lumina could not even begin to untangle the emotions she felt swirling around inside. In fact, everything was so confused and painful that it stopped her from weeping openly like the rest of them. She felt like screaming. Screaming and shouting and begging for someone to bring her father back. But the tears would not come. Instead she stood frozen on the beach, her fingers tangled in the fabric of Lulu's skirt so tightly that her knuckles were turning white; her face twisted in pain as she struggled to comprehend her own feelings.

Finally, the dance ended. In a final spectacular burst of light, the pyreflies scattered into the heavens and Tidus' body was gone. Lumina's eyes followed them as they ascended into the sky, glistening like stars against the blood, red sunset. Rikku, Wakka and Lulu (pulling Lumina in tow) all hurried to the shoreline to meet Yuna as she trudged back towards them. Rikku was the first to reach her cousin, enveloping her in an embrace so tight, Lumina wasn't sure how she could breathe.

"Yunie," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Her mother didn't respond. It frightened Lumina to see her so despondent. Her beautiful, bi-colored eyes were dull and empty. Lulu moved closer as soon as Rikku relinquished her hold. The Black Mage said nothing, but pushed Lumina forward, placing her in front of Yuna and offering her despairing friend a hopeful smile. Yuna looked at Lumina, dropping to her knees and pulling her into an embrace, clutching her tighter than ever before as if afraid to let go for fear of losing her as well. That was when Lumina felt her tears begin to fall. She returned the hug, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck as her cries grew louder and louder, echoing across the silent beach.

That first night without him made the cabin feel dark and empty. Lumina could not rest. The image of the red water kept her awake and trembling. She lay wrapped in her mother's arms as if she were just a babe once again. The two lay very still, Yuna murmuring the occasional word of comfort; but mostly they lay in silence, their shared tears slowly dampening the mattress beneath them. It was a sleepless night; and one that Lumina would never forget.

* * *

_6 years later…._

The only sound was that of Lumina's breath, coming heavily but steadily as she pounded dutifully across the shoreline. The white sand appeared a sooty, gray in the dark before the sunrise, but Lumina knew that if she did not hurry, she would not make it to Gull Hill in time to see the beach reflect the first of the sun's golden rays.

_Faster, faster, faster_, she chanted as her bare feet pounded the sand, ignoring the tiny grains that caught between her toes. Rivulets of sweat trailed down her temples, dampening strands of her short brown hair and sticking them to her face. The light, sleeveless shirt she wore was also dark with perspiration; the result of an hour long morning sprint. Her legs screamed in protest as she leapt up the steps that led to the top of the hill, taking them two at a time. She could remember how much of a struggle it had been to ascend only one of those steep steps years ago when she first ran with her father. By the time she reached the top of Gull Hill, her legs were trembling with exhaustion and her chest heaved in-and-out as she struggled to catch her breath. But she had made it in time. The sun was just beginning to peek over the edge of the sea, its rays turning the billowy clouds a soft, rosy color. Lumina sat on the edge of the cliff, letting her feet dangle over, as she watched the sun rise higher and higher. The silver, chain necklace she wore around her neck glinted in the light, catching her attention and subtly reminding her who was absent from this perfect scene. Not that she _needed_ reminding. It hadn't been long after her father's death that she decided to dedicate herself to become what he had been. For years she had run the same route along the beach, always before dawn so that she could catch the sunrise that he had adored so much. She even trained with the Aurochs, even though she had not been inducted as an official team member as of yet. In a few short years, she had become a worthy athlete. Her tan arms and legs were strong and toned, the rest of her body hard and lean. She wasn't very tall, being built in a more compact frame, like her father had been. But she was a capable swimmer as well, training to become better every day that she could. She loved to test her mettle against the undertows and hidden currents that lay out past the docks. Of course if her mother knew that that was where she chose to practice, she would have a fit. So Lumina kept her personal morning swims to herself, choosing to share only stories of the practices she attended with the Aurochs.

As the sun rose high enough for the sky to turn a light, lilac, Lumina took a deep breath and launched herself off of Gull Hill into the surf that crashed below. The moment she hit the water (and after adjusting to the cold shock that threatened to take her breath away) she stretched out her arms and propelled herself deeper. Tiny schools of fish swum around in fantastic formations, scattering in all directions as she propelled herself through them. The clear water flowed around her, guiding her limbs and pushing her through the currents. The sense of weightlessness, was one she could not get enough of, it made her feel as if she could fly. As she swam, she counted. Blitzers had to be able to hold their breath underwater for the entire length of the quarter; as of now the official time required was five minutes. Lumina could only manage three-and-a-half. She knew that today, however, was the day she would make five minutes. She had to or else she would not be made an official member of the Aurochs this year. Today was the day that an official Qualifier from the NBBL, or National Bliztball League, would be coming to scout for talented players all across Spira, as well as to assist Vidina (the Aurochs newest captain) in choosing the team members he would need to maintain the Auroch's national status. Like her father before, and then Raff for a brief stint after him, Vidina worked incredibly hard to train the Aurochs to the best of his abilities; intending for them to win the National Championship that had been left unrewarded the year Lumina's father died during the match.

She felt her lungs beginning to burn for air, but refused to surface just yet, choosing to wait until black spots clouded her vision before bursting through the water, gasping for breath. Four minutes….Not good enough. But at this point, she didn't have any more time to train. Tryouts would begin in a few short hours and she needed to get home to grab breakfast and restore her energy before losing it all again to the demanding tests the recruiter would doubtlessly make her perform. She paddled back to shore, dashing across the sand as soon as she reached it, running as fast as she could in an attempt to dry herself before she reached the cabin.

* * *

She could hear the sounds of clinging dishware inside the cabin as she approached it, signaling that her mother had awoken not long ago. She pushed aside the ornate, carpeted entrance and stepped inside, greeted by the warm, enticing smells of food simmering over a fire. Yuna stood over their tiny stove machina donated to them by her Aunt Rikku when her parents had first gotten married.

"Morning!" she shouted hurrying over to the stove, embracing her mother quickly and snatching a slice of bread from the counter before attempting to scurry away to her room. Yuna caught her before she could, her expression a confused combination of both amusement and disgust. It was then that Lumina caught a whiff of herself, a pungent odor surrounded her, courtesy of her intense morning workout.

"You are planning on cleaning up before you go anywhere else today, aren't you?" she suggested forcefully. Lumina rolled her eyes and groaned, "Mom…I'm training with the Aurochs in an hour! I'm just gonna get dirty again!"

"Trust me," Yuna said, turning her around and pushing her towards the outdoor shower behind the cabin. "Your friends will thank you for showing up and smelling like a human, not a fiend."

"Mooom," Lumina tried again even as she obliged and headed towards the back entrance. "Vidina always smells like old boots anyway and no one complains to him!"

"That's because he's twice your size and a man," Yuna retorted, turning back to the stove to end their discussion.

"Ugh, fine. But I'm filing a complaint with the management!"

Yuna laughed, causing Lumina to smile even as she sighed, finally exiting the cabin and stepping into their curtained shower area. She stripped bare and quickly scrubbed herself roughly with a heavy lather of soap, turning on the spout to fill the bucket that lay nearby with water (cold water) and dumping it over her own head. Repeating the dousing process a few more times, she threw back on her filthy clothes and hurried back into the house, swerving away from the kitchen and pushing aside the flap to her own room. It was a small, cozy place, added onto her parent's original cabin when she had become old enough to sleep on her own. A comfortable, downy bed covered in a messy wad of quilts lay against the far side, underneath the circular window that let in the sun. Posters of famous Biltzers from all over Spira decorated the walls, but the one directly above her bed, displayed the proud image of her father. She knelt on her bed and stared up at the poster, clutching the silver necklace as she spoke.

"Today's the day, dad." She blinked at the image, a small part of her hopeful that it would respond. "I'm going to become an Auroch today. Their Ace player, someday. I'm gonna win that Championship for you."

The grinning face of her father stared out at her, his thumb raised encouragingly. Closing her eyes to compose herself, she took a steadying breath before leaping off of her bed and scrambling to her dresser, scrounging for another outfit suitable for Blitzball practice. After settling on a yellow sleeveless, skin fit top and black and silver swim pants, she hurried back out to the kitchen where her mother had just finished setting her breakfast on the table.

"Thanks," she mumbled before shoveling the food into her mouth as fast as she could, barely even tasting the delicious concoction as it passed down her throat. Yuna blinked at her dumbfounded from where she sat at the table across from Lumina.

"Why are you in such a rush to train this morning?" She asked, causing Lumina to choke on her current mouthful. Yuna did not know that Lumina planned to try out for the recruiter today. She did not know that Lumina planned to become an official player for the Aurochs. She did not know, because after what had happened to Tidus, she had forbidden it. Yuna was never rough with Lumina, or openly severe, it just wasn't in her personality… except when it came to the possibility of her daughter competing in the official game. Tidus death had shaken everyone, but Yuna most of all. Her faith in the sport had been shattered and Lumina knew that she was right to fear it. Bliztball was an intense sport and players were injured in almost every competitive match. Few deaths had ever been recorded, but after her father's had been added to that short list, Lumina knew that she would never get her mother's approval to join an official team. Of course, she allowed Lumina to "play" with the Aurochs at practices, aware of her daughter's desire to engage in the sport. But those practices were just "for fun". Vidina was always present and Yuna trusted him to protect Lumina from harm. Even so, she would never give her consent for Lumina to become an actual teammate. And so she had decided not to ask for permission. If the recruiter made her membership official with the League, her mother could protest of course, but there would be a new team of people on Lumina's side, hopefully influental enough to convince Yuna that they needed her daughter to become a certified player.

"Oh, uh," Lumina coughed down her food, struggling to find an excuse as she swallowed. "Well, Vidina said he's demonstrating some new moves today and I want to get there early so I can get warmed up."

_Lame. Bad excuse. She won't believe it_.

"Oh," Yuna responded amiably, seeming content with the answer.

_Score._

"Well, just remember to be safe when you're out there," she reminded Lumina unnecessarily as the girl picked up her empty dishes and hurried towards the sink.

"I know, mom," she grumbled dumping her dishes and dashing through the door calling, "I'll be back in a few hours, with me luck!"

Yuna watched her daughter disappear with a melancholy smile, memories of Tidus running through her head. The two were incredibly alike.

"She really is your daughter," she mumbled quietly to herself, feeling the familiar ache of loss clawing at her heart. Six years had not been enough to dull the pain and she wasn't sure how long it would be before the memories did not hurt to recall.

"Knock, knock," came a familiar voice as the flap to the cabin was pushed open. Lulu appeared in the entrance, ducking to avoid brushing the doorframe with her elaborate, black-hair style.

"Good morning, Lulu," Yuna greeted her old friend and crossed towards the sink to begin cleaning the dishes Lumina had left behind. "What brings you here so early?"

"I'm interested in how Lumina is doing lately," Lulu stated calmly, seating herself at the small dining table and peering at Yuna with her intense ruby eyes.

"Oh, she's doing fine," Yuna chuckled. "Playing with the boys constantly, of course."

"She does take after her father that way," Lulu mused. Yuna nodded once, but did not verbally respond. The Black Mage caught the immediate change in her demeanor and quickly changed the subject, "Vidina's new…sweetheart…is coming in from Luca today, you know?"

"I had heard rumors that he was seeing someone from another team," Yuna said, finishing with the dishes and coming to sit across from the ruby-eyed woman at the table.

"Yes," Lulu drawled, sounding unimpressed. "They met during the preliminary match in Luca a few months ago. They've been keeping it their little secret. Vidina's told me he's afraid of drawing prejudice from his teammates if they knew he was interested in someone from their biggest rival."

"So what brings her here today?" Yuna asked curiously. "Have they finally decided to reveal everything to the team?"

"Not quite," Lulu mumbled. "She's currently a representative for the NBBL. According to Vidina she's coming here to help him conduct tryouts for the team he's going to take to the National Cup this year."

A cold dread filled Yuna as she registered Lulu's words, "Tryouts?"

"Yes," Lulu sighed, obviously aggravated. "She'll be arriving by airship soon and sitting in on their practice. Vidina was quite a bundle of nerves this morning; could barely finish the breakfast I made for him."

Lulu stopped speaking and gazed at Yuna concernedly. The other woman's face had turned paler than usual, her eyes wide and fearful.

She stood abruptly, her chair screeching loudly across the wood paneled floor as she did, "I need to find Lumina."

* * *

By the time Lumina reached the beach, she again covered in a thin sheen of sweat; not that it bothered her much. As she stepped onto the sand she registered three other figures standing near the docks whereupon rested two compact airships. The figure with a crest of magnificent fiery hair, she recognized immediately as Vidina. But it took her up until she came within shouting distance that she acknowledged the short, blonde girl who stood talking to him.

"Calli!" Lumina called out as she registered the perky, green-eyed girl who was her cousin, or in reality her second-cousin if she was choosing to get technical.

"Lumina!" the little Al Bhed squealed, abandoning her conversation with Vidina and racing towards Lumina at top speed. Lumina braced herself, laughing as the impact of Calli's embrace sent them toppling onto the sand. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"It's only been a few months," Lumina corrected as she struggled to sit up. Calli always did have a tendency to dramatize things, the way her pouty bottom lip quivered with barely restrained emotion was proof enough of that. "Are your parents here too?"

"Nope!" Calli squeaked, puffing out her chest with obvious pride. "Sussy (_Momma_ in Al Bhed, Lumina knew) says I'm old enough to travel on my own now that I'm thirteen, I'm practically an adult, you know! Plus…"

She leapt to her feet and whirled around to point at the tiny, red, one seated airship that sat perched on the dock, "Bubby (Poppa) gave me that for my birthday!"

Lumina's jaw practically hit the ground, "They gave you an airship?!"

Calli looked practically ready to burst with joy, her blonde hair bouncing around her head and she hopped up-and-down excitedly.

"You're let me give it a test drive, right?!"

"Of course!"

Before she could set a time, Vidina approached the two young girls, stretching out one of his massive hands and helping Lumina to her feet, "Bout time you got here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lumina growled. "Nobody else is here! I'm way ahead of schedule."

"Yeah," Vidina yielded, his voice carrying a hint of uncharacteristic anxiety. "But I wanted you to meet Eva before the rest of the boys get here."

"Who's-?" Suddenly Lumina remembered the second airship and the third vague figure that had been standing with the others. She peered around Vidina's burly shoulders and came face to face with a tall, lanky girl with heavy black eyes. She had long red hair that curled around her shoulders and face. She was beautiful, there was no denying that; but her very appearance seemed somehow dangerous to Lumina.

"Hey," she said, offering her hand for Eva to shake. "Name's Lumina."

The girl's black, slanted eyes flicked to Lumina's hand, then quickly back to her face as if analyzing her before making a move. Finally, she offered a curved smile with pale, pink lips and took Lumina's hand in her own. Her grip was weak and she held Lumina's hand for only a moment before withdrawing and stepping back, slipping her thin arm around Vidina's thick, waist.

"I know who you are," Eva chirped in a cheery voice that contrasted her sharp appearance. "Vidina's told me a lot about you. Plus, I knew your father."

Lumina was so dumbfounded by this unexpected display of affection that she barely registered the last part of Eva's sentence. Finding her voice she blurted, "You knew my father?"

Eva nodded, her dusky eyes flashing briefly, "Mhmm. The last match he played in was against my father, Greer."

Slowly the pieces came together in Lumina's mind. This girl was Greer's daughter. Greer had killed her father. Vidina was dating the girl whose father had killed her own. And worst of all, neither one of them seemed to care.

"Vidina, you-But she—I-My dad-," Lumina stopped to swallow and compose herself. "Vidina how could you!?"

Vidina's face was now more anxious than before, however at the same time a heavy, darkness was settling in his eyes, "Lumina…You know I cared about Tidus. But this isn't about that. Eva is not her father."

Lumina felt her face beginning to burn with rage. She wanted to scream words of hate in his face. _Traitor, Sheep, Bastard._

"Please don't fight," Eva interjected, her voice sounded sickeningly sweet to Lumina's ears. "Lumina, I cannot even begin to tell you how much I regret what happened in the past….But Vidina's right. This is between me and him. We don't live our parent's lives."

Lumina was ready to leap on this new girl, claws unleashed, when Calli put a gentle hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Lumina don't….She's a Qualifier."

Lumina blanched. Calli was well aware of her decision to join the Aurochs since the two sent tele-sphere's to each other practically every other day; and so far, the usually loud-mouthed Al Bhed had done a phenomenal job of keeping the secret from both of their parents.

However, this new information only served to fuel the fire within her. If this girl was the one who was going to decide her destiny, then it seemed that fate was doing its best to slow her down.

"You're the Qualifier?" she questioned through clenched teeth. Eva nodded, her red hair swaying hypnotically, "That's right. Besaid is my first stop. It's my job to make sure the Blitzball Captains of Spira take their best recruits to the Qualifying rounds. It's up to them to give the rest of the world a good show. After this I'll stop in Kilika, then Luca…hmm let's see, then there's Home, and finally ."

"What about Zanarkand?" Calli piped up curiously. Eva's sweet demeanor disappeared for a brief instant as she shot the young Al Bhed a look of disdain, apparently disgusted by her lack of Bliztball knowledge. Lumina knew that the city in which her father had been born had just recently begun to rebuild itself into its former splendor, after having faced destruction at the claws of a terrible beast called Sin almost a millennium ago. But that was another story.

At the moment, Zanarkand did not support an official League Bliztball team. Calli had no way of knowing that though, she was not as dedicated to the sport as Lumina was. She felt her hackles rise defensively as Eva dark glare continued to bore into Calli. The red-haired woman spoke in a sardonic tone that went unnoticed by Vidina, "Zanarkand doesn't have a team, sweetie."

"Look, we know what your job is," Lumina grumbled rescuing Calli from further confrontation. She was annoyed that Eva had left out the fact that Qualifiers only had the power to strongly suggest which recruits should be made a part of the team and the final decision was left to the Captain. However, a Qualifier's opinion was a highly valued one, considering they were only given the job if they were masters of Blitzball technique and statistics themselves. Eva gave her that slanted smile again, "Are you trying out today?"

"You bet she is!" Calli squeaked, unable to contain herself in the background any longer.

"Lumina," Vidina grumbled, giving her a hard stare. "You know you're ma won't let me pick you for the team."

"Since when did you become such a pushover, Vidina, huh?!" Lumina challenged, her anger flaring once again. "You're twenty-one now! My mom doesn't control you and she doesn't control me either."

Before Vidina could retaliate for the blow she had sent to his ego, Lumina lowered her voice and continued in a more pleading tone, "Please, just let me show you what I can do. I train with you guys every day! I'm just as good as anyone else who's going to try out today….Better!"

The two stared each other down, the tension in the air becoming palpable.

"Hon, let her try," Eva finally interjected, standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Vidina's cheek. The moment she did, his face lightened considerably and he regarded her inquisitively as waiting for further instruction.

_You're wrapped around her little finger, Vidina_. Lumina thought bitingly. Contrary to his massive frame, he was quite submissive around powerful women; he took after his father in that manner.

"Besides," Eva continued, staring at Lumina with those endlessly black eyes. "I'm interested to see what this little one can do."

Before the standoff could continue any further, they were interrupted by the booming voices of the rest of the Aurochs as they all came running onto the beach. Lumina hung back as Vidina introduced the players to Eva, as the Qualifier, not as his girlfriend; although the way she continued to hang on his arm made their relationship obvious. The public affection, as well as Eva herself, drew plenty of stares and murmurs from the men on the team, but none of them seemed as openly aggressive as Lumina had been when she learned of the girl's identity. In fact, most of them just seemed infatuated with her looks.

"Alright boys!" Vidina finally shouted, clapping his hands to draw their attention away from the red-haired vixen. "It's time to show me watcha got! Our National team is gonna be decided here today, so give it your all!"

A cheer went up from the assembled men. However craven Vidina sometimes might be, Lumina had to admit that he was a good captain. He began the assessments by ordering a short relay. There were currently fifteen members on the Aurochs, but National matches only allowed teams of seven. Vidina had them split into three groups of five in order to complete the relay on the beach, the players with the best time would have points added to their score; the score that would qualify them as an official League player. Eva stood on the sidelines, her thin arms crossed over her chest, her slanted eyes gleaming hungrily at the men spread out before her. Lumina grimaced, so distracted by the red-haired woman that she missed the whistle signaling the start of the race.

Snapping back to reality she focused on the southern end of the beach where Jassu was pounding away at the sand, lugging the heavy blitzball that was their baton to pass. Letty was next, then Botta, and finally Keepa, the slowest of them all due to his substantial gut. Lumina was last, her sprint was powerful and she knew she could make up anytime lost by her teammates. She began bouncing on her toes as Keepa drew closer, reaching out for the ball to minimize the time she would have to wait before she ran. She didn't expect Keepa to lob the ball towards her at max power after he gotten so close. The ball hit her square in the chest, knocking the breath from her lungs as she collided with the sand. Gasping, she rolled over her shoulder and leapt to her feet, charging forward, head low and legs pumping as she struggled to make up for the stumble. The beach was a blur beneath her feet, the docks that served as the finish line growing closer and closer with every step. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heart and the air passing in and out of her lungs. A loud whistle sounded as she touched the first panels of the dock's surface and turned on her heel to observe the competition. The other three finishers were just coming up behind her, faces red and sweaty.

Lumina shot a satisfied look at Vidina, who gave her a solemn nod in response, clearly unhappy with her accomplishment. That didn't phase her, she would do so well that there was no possible way her could deny her membership. The next test was a Passing trial. Lumina was teamed up with Botta who beamed encouragingly at her even when her first throw struck him right in his already bulbous nose. Vidina had them pass only with their hands, then only with their feet, then their heads, etc. Lumina succeeded in each test, failing only when he had them pass using their belly buttons. Keepa, on the other hand, was exceedingly proficient with that particular technique.

The final test was a mock game between Lumina, Keepa, Letty, Gobba, Tella and Jassu against Vidina, Botta, Beclem, Dotta, Kamm, and Raff. The rules were official match rules, except for the fact that game was played above the water's surface for the sake of their judge, Eva. It was quite a close match, Lumina team pulling ahead at the very last minute due to a choreographed team shot carried out by Lumina, Letty, and Jassu. The teams sloshed back to shore, exchanging high fives and shouts of encouragement, but Lumina kept her eyes trained on Eva. If she had impressed the Qualifier, in spite of her suspicious intentions, Vidina would not have the nerve to contest her. The Aurochs formed a loose circle around Eva, joined by her boyfriend who announced, "Alright, everyone did a great job today! We'll need while to decide on the results. So just go ahead and take a break for-"

"No need," Eva interrupted her dark eyes flashing as she peered at the crowd of exhausted players before her. "I've already made my choices."

Vidina blinked, obviously taken aback, but nonetheless gestured for her to announce the names.

"In order of highest score to the lowest," Eva began, "Here is the Besaid Aurochs Offical League Team. Vidina, Jassu, Letty, Beclem, Dotta, Gobba, and Keepa."

Lumina's heart began to pound anxiously as she realized that her name had not been called and seven players had been chosen. A few murmurs were exchanged among the men before they began to congratulate those who had been called out. Lumina, on the other hand, charged forward approaching Eva with fire in her eyes.

"Wait! What about me?" she shouted, stopping mere inches from Eva's pale white face. "I know I had some of the best times out there! Were you even watching for real talent or are you just too distracted all the muscular, meat-heads?"

A couple of offended objections sounded behind Lumina and she cringed, aware that her anger with the results had just earned her a couple of enemies on her own team. Eva's slanted smile appeared on her pink lips once again, "Honestly, Lumina, your times aren't as impressive as you think they are. Maybe you're a better player than the rest of the tiny, fifteen-year-old girls out there, but you definitely don't have the number to be a League Blitzer. It's unfortunate really. I expected a lot more from the daughter of an Ace player."

Lumina was dumbfounded, mouth agape as she struggled to find some way to respond.

"Besides," Eva continued sweetly, looping her arm through Vidina's once more. "Vidina here tells me your mommy won't let you play. I can't very well go against a loving parent's wishes with a clear conscious; especially when she's been here watching the whole time."

Eva gestured with her pointed chin towards the far end of the beach. Lumina followed her gaze to see her mother, accompanied by Lulu and a sheepish looking Calli, approaching the team angrily. Lumina whipped her head around to again focus on Eva, but the woman had already moved on from their argument, meeting instead with the players whom she had called and detailing the process they would now have to go through to compete in the National League. Desperately, she looked to Vidina begging him for a second opinion, but his heavy eyes gave her his answer when they met her own. _I told you so. _Betrayed, by her own friend. Her big brother in every aspect of the title except by blood.

Lumina's gaze fell to the sand, blue eyes flickering back and forth rapidly as she tried to comprehend what had just occurred. It was over. Her dream would not come true. Even after giving it everything she had, it had not been not enough. So lost was she in her own thoughts, that it startled her when her mother's voice sounded from directly in front of her. Yuna's tone was unnaturally heated but when Lumina looked up at her face, she saw only pain not fury, in her bi-colored eyes, "Lumina. I can't bel-"

She interrupted before Yuna could continue; she did not need scolding, she already knew what wrong had been done.

"I know," she groaned, looking at her feet once again. "I'm in deep trouble. I lied to you. I'm grounded for, like, ever. It doesn't matter. I didn't even get in anyway."

Without waiting for her mother's response, she pushed past them and began trudging slowly back to the cabin. Yuna followed quickly, placing a guiding hand on her shoulder, though not for comfort Lumina knew, rather control.

Calli watched her cousin walk away feebly, her usual spunk dissipated like a cloud of pyreflies. She heard Lulu sigh heavily next to her and looked up at the Black Mage to see disappointment etched on her face.

"She is so much like her father," Lulu murmured almost to herself. Calli blinked, shoulders drooping as she looked back at Lumina disappearing into the woods that led out of the beach. She felt the weight of her cousin's distress covering her own heart as she did.

* * *

Lumina stood sat obediently on her bed, legs crossed and eyes lowered as her mother berated her.

"Lumina, I can't believe that you would spend all this time lying to me," she began. "You know I don't want you competing Nationally. Isn't it enough that I let you play with the Aurochs during their practices?"

Lumina said nothing, her eyes narrowing as tears pooled at the corners. Yuna waited for a response, but when none was forthcoming, she sighed and knelt beside the bed, cupping Lumina's chin and raising it to look her in the face.

"Lumina…I'm just trying to keep you safe. I don't want you to…to get hurt."

Lumina's crystal, blue eyes flicked upwards to meet her mother's briefly before she jerked her chin away pettily. Yuna closed her own eyes, speaking slowly, her voice heavy, "You won't be able to play with the Aurochs anymore. You understand that, right?"

"Yeah," Lumina said tersely. _Eva had made sure of that_.

Yuna studied her daughter for a few moments more, finally standing and turning towards the door. Before she left she stopped in the doorway and added what Lumina knew had been coming all along, "You will stay here in the cabin until I say otherwise."

With that she left and Lumina collapsed onto her bed, screwing up her face in an attempt to fight that tears that were forthcoming. She looked up at the poster of her father through a veil of water. His bright, encouraging smile stared down at her mockingly. In fact, suddenly all of the poster of her heroes seemed to now gaze at her contemptuously.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked feebly as the tears finally fell. "I'm so sorry. I failed."

She lay curled in a ball on her bed until night had fallen and even then she lay still until even the crickets outside had ceased their chirping. A small tapping noise coming from her window finally made her raise her head curiously. She got onto her knees and peered out the window frame, coming face to face with the swirling, green eyes of her cousin.

"Calli?" she hissed, keeping her voice down so as not to wake her mother. "I thought you went home? What are you doing here?"

"I'm breaking you out! C'mon!" With that she dropped down from whatever had propped up her four-foot-nine frame against the window and disappeared into the darkness.

"Calli!" she called again, glancing nervously at the doorway before slowly raising the windowpane and squirming her way through the tiny entrance. The drop wasn't far, but it was enough to knock the wind out of her as she hit the ground. Rising to her feet and dusting herself off and peered anxiously into the darkness, searching for the bright, golden hair of her cousin. She spotted the tiny, Al Bhed dashing through the collection of dark cabins, heading towards the beach. Lumina followed as quickly as her sore legs would allow. By the time she caught up with Calli, her they were burning painfully; but she forgot the ache as soon as she realized that her cousin had brought her to Gull Hill. Calli had no way of knowing what the significance of this place was to Lumina, but that did not matter; the impact was the same. She felt her heart begin to ache as she imagined her father here with them, his disappointment in her failure twisting his usually enthusiastic features.

"Why did you bring me here?" Lumina murmured, plopping down to dangle her feet off the edge of the cliff. Calli joined her, leaning against the older girl's shoulder comfortingly.

"Eva was wrong you know." she said quietly, watching Lumina as she picked quietly at the grass that blanketed the hill. "I was watching too. You blew those old guys out of the water! You're a good player."

Lumina shrugged, "Apparently not good enough."

"C'mon Lumina!" Calli argued, shoving her shoulder into Lumina's gently. "You know better than that! Don't let whatever that strange lady said about you make you lose faith in yourself! She's creepy and I don't trust her anyway."

Lumina couldn't help but smile as Calli stuck out her small pink tongue in response.

"Ok," she began slowly. "Let's say she was lying about my numbers for some reason. It doesn't matter anyway. Vidina doesn't want me either and half the team is angry that I called them meatheads."

"Well, can you blame them?" Calli half-smiled, looking up at the stars. "It'd be cool if you could start your own team ya know? Create Lumina city and raise up a team of mini Lumina's! You'd be unstoppable."

Calli's statement was an obvious jest, nonetheless, it sparked an idea in Lumina's brain and slowly her wheels began to turn.

"Maybe I don't need a Lumina city…" she began. "Calli, can your airship fit two people?"

"Maybe," Calli responded, tapping her chin in thought. "If we squish together really close. Why?"

Lumina stood up, raising her fist enthusiastically and shouting, "Because we _are_ going to start our own team!"

Calli looked dumfounded, blinking in confusion as the excitement built in her cousins voice.

"Calli! It's time to take destiny into our own hands! Get the airship ready, we're going to Zanarkand!"

(Optional End Theme: Gurren Lagann Theme: watch?v=C_t47BVtPuE)

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**OMG PLEASE REVIEW**

**BYE!**


	3. Welcome to New Zanarkand

**OK Sorrry for those who have already read the updated chapter...But I took it down and put it back up because I realized I had misspelled Blitzball nearly every time I typed it out X_X shame...**

**First off, I changed the summary for the story, so sorry if the email update threw any of you off...**

**Woo hoo...long chapter. Alright folks, here's the next installment. I wanted to give a few shoutouts to the readers that this story has garnered so far. Thanks to Gambit Hawk for the review, giving me the inspiration to finish this chapter.**

**Also thanks for PersonaOfBetrayal, Jumofi of the Mad Hare, and xSabinaKoenigx :) I appreciate you all for giving the story a fair chance. I know that stories heavily involving OC's can be hard to get behind, but this one will include TONS of FFX references and flashbacks and old characters. It will star just as many canon characters as OC ones.**

**Please enjoy and leave any comments about how you felt about this chapter. Reader response gives me the boost I need to continue. See ya'll next chapter!**

* * *

Calli didn't argue much after she understood the details of her cousin's plan; not that Lumina had expected her to. Calli had never been one to say no to an adventure. Lumina ordered her to wait inside the tiny, single-seated airship while she hurried back through the forest path towards the now dark and empty village, all it's denizens tucked quietly away for the night, in order to garner a few traveling supplies. After picking out her cabin amongst the dozen others that looked almost exactly the same, she snuck around the side to her window, which still stood ajar from her earlier escape. She crouched low, springing up from the tips of her toes and catching herself on the window sill, legs swinging comically as she squirmed inside.

Dropping down to the wooden floor as quietly as she could, she crept towards her bedside table, snatching the Blitz goggles she wore specifically for underwater practices. Sticking her other hand inside the table drawer, she shuffled around in the darkness, searching for the measly collection of Gil she had earned for completing various jobs for the neighbors over the years. After pulling out all of the shining golden coins she could find, her spirits dampened considerably…15 gil. Barely enough to buy hot a meal…For one. Sighing, she straightened and peered around her dim room, illuminated only by a few, silver shafts of moonlight. For a moment she considered bringing a few changes of wardrobe until she realized that would only serve to make the already compact space inside Calli's airship even smaller. She must take only what she could carry. Grabbing a knapsack off the end of her bed, she stuffed the Gil and goggles inside as well as a small, ornately decorated dagger that Vidina had given her for her birthday years ago.

Lumina was about to turn back towards the window, intending to sneak out the way she came, when she heard a murmuring sound coming from the main room. She froze, too startled to even attempt to hide herself. Swallowing nervously, she strained her ears for another sound, but none came. Carefully, she crept to her doorway and peeked around the hanging, material. The main cabin was dark, not a soul moving within. Silently, she stepped over the doorframe and tip-toed her way across the large room; careful to avoid the squeaky floorboard that sat in the middle. Another murmur rooted her to the spot; her eyes darted around furiously, searching for the source of the noise. She found it eventually, when her gaze fell upon the figure of her mother, who had fallen asleep on the tiny, ornate couch they kept pushed against the south wall unless they had company. She was mumbling something in her sleep, although Lumina could not make it out, her brows drawn in concern. Lumina stood absolutely still for what seemed like an eternity, watching her mother sleep, a troubling sense of guilt welling up inside of her. She had been so caught up in the exciting possibility of travel and adventure that she hadn't considered what her actions would do to the people she left behind.

_The Aurochs wouldn't care much_, she thought trying to assuage her conscious. _They're probably still mad that I called them all meatheads._

Vidina was too wrapped up in his new, manipulative girlfriend to care what had happened to her and Calli was joining her on her journey, so there were no concerns there. But Yuna….Lumina took a hesitant step closer to the couch, frowning as she did. Her mother would be alone. Not entirely, of course. She would still have Wakka and Lulu and her other friends on Besaid. But, the last of her family would be gone. Lumina bit her lip, an internal battle beginning to break her resolution.

_I have to do this. For him. I have to do this. For me._

For a brief moment she considered leaving some sort of note detailing her intentions. But she dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it had come. If Yuna had any sort of clue as to her whereabouts, she would find and put a stop to Lumina's plans faster than a lightning strike on the Thunder Plains. However, she knew that there was no way she could just disappear without leaving _something_ to at least let her mother know that she would be alright. Quickly, she scribbled a simple message on a scrap of paper, leaving it on the dining table where she knew her mother would find it come the morning. Before her guilt could further shake her resolve, Lumina swiveled on her heel and crept as quickly as she could to the cabin entrance. There she paused once more and spoke quietly into the darkness, "I'll show you that I can do this. I'll make you proud." With that she slipped out of the house she had spent her life in and sped back towards Besaid's northern beach.

By the time she stepped onto the rickety dock where Calli's airship was parked, the blonde Al Bhed was fast asleep on the steering wheel, snoring lightly. Lumina smiled to herself and turned to take one last glance at the small, sleepy island she had called her home for fifteen-years. She knew that it was not a permanent farewell, once she became a champion she could return home with her head held high; no one would dare stop her from playing when she held the National Title in her hands. But how long would it be before that victory was hers? Feeling tears begin to prick at the corners of her eyes, she raised her fists, quickly brushing them away. Turning back to the airship, she prepared to awaken her sleeping cousin and finally leave the charming, little island behind.

* * *

Calli's ship was surprisingly inefficient for being such a tiny machine. It didn't fly as fast as Lumina had expected and it took them until dawn to finally leave the city of Luca in their wake. By that time they had been traveling nonstop for close to four hours, Lumina having long ago lost all feeling in her legs. She couldn't even appreciate the beautiful sights of Spira from so high up in the air, so cramped was she from being squashed in the tiny cockpit with her cousin.

"Lumina," Calli whined loudly. "Can we please make a quick pit stop somewhere? Everything hurts and it smells like feet in here!"

"That's not my fault," Lumina argued impractically, the cramping making her exceptionally irritable.

"Is so!" Calli shot back. "You never showered after you left tryouts!"

Lumina's face turned red as she realized that Calli was correct in her accusation; she wasn't about to let her cousin know that however, "Oh yeah? Well how do you know it's just not that natural musty smell you Al Bhed seem to take with you everywhere?"

Calli gave her a dull look, unimpressed with her obvious attempt to offend. "Pleaaaaaase, let's stop just for a few minutes!"

"Ok, fine!" Lumina relented, peeking over her cousin's shoulder to view their surroundings. All around them was a sea of trees, waving subtly in the early morning breeze. "Wait, can we even land here? It just looks like forest to me."

"Don't underestimate how compact this baby is," Calli bragged, punching the acceleration.

"No worries there," Lumina grumbled under her breath as the airship dropped towards the tree line.

There was a bit of turbulence as the aircraft slipped through the tightly intertwined branches. However they managed to land without causing too much damage in a small, clearing surrounded by massive tree trunks. Calli was the first to escape the ship's hull, leaping out of the captain's seat and dashing into the woods shouting something about having had way too much to drink before they had left Besaid. Lumina crawled out after she had disappeared into the ethereal forest, her legs tingling uncomfortably as the blood rushed back into them. She straightened and looked around at the enormous trees that encircled them. She had only left Besaid once in her entire life and that was too attend the Championships with her family in Luca when she was nine. She knew about the different towns and cities that existed in Spira of course, but seeing someplace inside the hologram of a sphere and actually being there were two completely different experiences. She began to walk steadily through the foliage, eyes trained on the beautiful, twisted trunks of the forest.

This particular wood was obviously a very special place. The trees all had strange shapes and markings in them, and she could swear that the shadows inside the tree trunks flickered every time she turned away. She paused for a moment, staring hard at her surroundings when suddenly she realized that the strange markings on the trunks were not symbols at all, but doors and windows etched directly into the wood. Startled and more than a bit curious, she approached one of the wooden doors, intending to knock when a flash of movement caught her eye. She whirled around and saw a vague figure wearing a long mottled coat the color of the surrounding woods, standing in the shadows of the trees across from her.

"Hey," Lumina called out, startled by the volume of her own voice in the stuffy silence of the woods. "Who's there? What is this place?"

The figure did not respond, but melted back into the shadows. Throwing caution to the wind, Lumina pelted after whatever it was that intended to elude her. She hurried through the trees, catching a quick glimpse of the greenish brown coat out of the corner of her eye every so often causing her to quickly change direction multiple times in order to follow it. The elusive figure led her through twisting pathways and around endless tree trunks until finally she found herself climbing a twisting hill that cut right through an enormous tree. She followed the glowing tunnel it created until she reached a tall, staircase that seemed cut from within the stony ground. At the very top was a large, swirling mass of color. Lumina stared at it breathlessly. Although she was a good distance away from the mysterious object, she could feel an enormous ethereal energy radiating from within it.

"What is that thing?" she murmured to herself, gathering the courage to approach it.

"That is the entrance to the Farplane."

Lumina could not contain the shout of surprise that echoed off the walls of the tunnel when a deep, male voice emanated from directly behind her. She whirled around, fists raised defensively, but stopped when she saw who it was that had spoken to her. The creature before her appeared to be very old, he was hunched and wrinkled, his face taking on the cracked appearance of tree bark. In fact, most of the creature's body resembled a tree; from the wild, tangle of green hair on his head to the long, twig like fingers on his large hands.

"Who are you?"

"I am no more than an old bard," the person responded in a wispy voice. "In my younger days, I experienced some quite magnificent adventures. But I am too old now to do much more than share the stories of how Spira used to be."

Lumina blinked, slightly peeved. "Ok, but what's your name?"

"Oh!" The old man loosed a wheezing laugh. "Pardon me, my lady. There has not been a visitor in Guadosalam for many a year, I seem to have forgotten proper educate when introducing oneself. You may call me Tromell."

"I'm Lumina." She realized that the man before her was actually a Guado and if this was truly the city she had read about, then the doors she had seen in the trees had in fact been entrances to the households of the other citizens. She turned and pointed at the swirling mirage floating at the top of the staircase asking, "So that's the Farplane up there?"

"Indeed," Tromell murmured, studying Lumina with an oddly contemplative gaze. "Inside the Farplane exists a multitude of pyreflies that reflect one's memories of the dead. It is a place that reunites the living with ones they have lost."

Lumina felt as if a heavy stone had settled in her stomach. If she were to step through the portal, would she be able to speak with him again? Would she be able to ask for his approval of her plan?

"You've lost someone dear to you, have you not?" Tromell continued, drawing her attention away from the portal.

"How did you know?"

"The Guado are the keepers of the Farplane and have a sense for the Otherworld. The scent of death and loss never truly leaves a person who has experienced it." He paused and gestured towards the Farplane entrance with his long fingers. "Would you like to enter the Plane?"

Lumina's limbs began to tremble as she considered his offer. What would it be like to see him again after six years? Would he be the same man she remembered? Or did people change in the Farplane? Would he speak to her? Or would he simply be a figment of her own mind? She was paralyzed with anxiety as the thoughts swirled around and around. Before a decision could be reached she heard a high voice echoing in the distance, calling her name.

"Lumina! Where are you?!"

_Calli_, the thought, returning to her senses. "Sorry, I have to go."

Tromell nodded complacently, a thin smile just visible through his mossy beard. "The Farplane will still be here should you decide to return, my lady."

"Yeah, ok," she replied, unable to form a more fitting response. Taking one last look at the Farplane, she turned on her heel and dashed back through the gaping tunnel, escaping the entrancing power of the Otherworld and the fleeting memories that threatened to swallow her whole.

* * *

_There's something I have to do for me and Papa. I can take care of myself so don't worry about me. I'll be home when I've done what I need to. I love you. _

_-Lumina_

Yuna had risen with the sun, intending to check on Lumina when the scrap of paper laid out on the dining table had caught her eye. She had to squint to make out the hastily scrawled message but when she finished reading, an aberrant wave of anger had engulfed her. Lumina had always been headstrong and hasty, quick to voice her own opinion and easy to anger, but pure disobedience had never been in her nature, especially not when Tidus had been around. Yuna set the note down and placed her hands on her hips, furrowing her brows in an attempt to calm herself in spite of the intense desire she felt to hunt her daughter down and drag her back to the cabin by the ear.

She was not quite sure what Lumina's intentions were from the contents of the note. She would not be able to leave Besaid until the day after tomorrow, as that was when the ferry made it's scheduled round from Kilika Island. If that was the case, then she must still be on the island somewhere. But in that context, the note made no sense. The only other way she could have left was by airship and no one on Besaid owned such an extravagant machine. No one except-

Yuna felt the color drain from her face as she recalled the airship that Rikku's daughter Calli had brought to the island the previous day. An equal sense of anxiety and fury filled her as she realized that Lumina had indeed run away. She was on her own, in Spira, traveling with a restless thirteen-year-old Al Bhed, intending (Yuna was sure) to force her way on to any other Blitzball team that would have her. She turned on her heel, intending to bolt for the door and send a commsphere to her cousin to insist that she bring the Celsius for a retrieval mission, when a figure in the doorway stopped her from leaving. Lulu made her way inside, arms crossed over her substantial breast.

"She's gone isn't she?" the dark woman said, although it came out as more of a statement than a question. Yuna stepped back, for a brief moment allowing herself to believe that it had been Lulu who had helped her daughter to escape, but she dismissed the treasonous thought almost as quickly as it had come.

"How did you know?"

Lulu's purple lips twitched with restrained mirth, "After the fiasco at tryouts yesterday I'd be more surprised I she _didn't_ do something foolish and irresponsible."

Yuna shook her head, the frustration continuing to build the longer Lulu kept her standing in the cabin. She made a move to step past the tall, mage murmuring as she did so, "If you'll excuse me I need to—"

"Yuna." Lulu's tone was suddenly quite somber. She reached out with and grabbed Yuna's wrist gently, the many bracelets she wore jangling together at the motion. Yuna stopped and turned to face the older woman, confusion and exasperation battling for dominance in her expression.

"Lulu?"

"Are you really going to go out there letting your anger lead you and drag her back to Besaid kicking and screaming the entire way?"

That had been exactly Yuna's plan, but the way Lulu suggested it made it seem as if that weren't the most appropriate way to go about it. Desperate to defend her position, she withdrew her wrist from Lulu's grasp, irritation rising in her voice as she spoke, "Lulu, she deliberately disobeyed. She knows I don't want her playing and yet she seems determined to put herself in harm's way no matter what I say. She escaped the island without leaving anything more than a note—"

Yuna took a step to leave, intending to throw her final arguments over her shoulder when Lulu's cool voice interrupted, "Hmn. Sounds like a certain young summoner I used to know."

She stopped, hand pressed against the doorframe for support as Lulu's words sunk in. Slowly she turned around to see Lulu gazing at her with amusement, a small smile adorning her usually stoic features.

"What do you mean?"

Lulu cocked a dubious brow, "Come now Yuna. I recall the very day that you grew tired of the endless meetings with officials and preators and took off without a word the moment Rikku showed up with her _own_ airship."

Yuna found herself sitting at the dining table, dumbfounded by Lulu's revelation. She had always thought that Lumina's personality stemmed mainly from Tidus'. She had never really considered the possibility that some of her daughter's spirit had come from her own. Lulu sighed and sat across from the stricken woman, reaching out to pat her hand comfortingly.

"This is what teenagers do Yuna. Let her find herself. Would it really make you happy to bring her back and crush such a vibrant spirit?"

Lulu noticed the tears gathering in her friend's bi colored eyes and immediately softened her tone, "Yuna?"

"I can't lose her too, Lulu." The words came out almost as a whisper, but they rang loud and clear for the dark mage. "I just can't." She stepped forward and cupped Yuna's cheek in her palm, forcing her to meet the ruby-red gaze.

"Yuna, you have faced more pain and hardship than anyone should ever have to, let alone at your age. But you have always faced it bravely and conquered whatever fate throws at you. You have given Lumina what she needs to succeed. Have faith in your daughter and believe that she is strong enough to reach her own destiny, just as you have been."

The tears flowed freely down Yuna's cheeks now and the two women embraced in silence for a long time. When finally Yuna pulled away to wipe the wetness from her cheeks Lulu offered her a smile and said, "If she hasn't tried to make contact with us within a week, then we'll do what we need to do to find her. Alright?"

Yuna nodded mutely, suddenly inexplicably grateful for her old friend's level-headed wisdom. Lulu smiled once more and took Yuna's hand in her own, "Come. We'll use the commsphere to tell Rikku her daughter's a kidnapper. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree now does it?"

* * *

It was nearly nightfall by the time Calli and Lumina's airship reached the edges of New Zanarkand. The sun was setting behind the edge of the ocean, sending golden rays of fire streaking across the surface of the water. The towering buildings and spiraling roadways were silhouetted against the orange clouds, tiny specks of light beginning to pop up here and there as the city grew dark enough to require artificial illumination. Spiraling above the city were groups of airships, similar to the one the girls currently rode in. They sped above the roadways and above the buildings, hurrying to and fro, but all in an organized fashion as if there were invisible highways they traveled along. Lumina was speechless as she took in the mechanized beauty of the city. New Zanarkand had been under reconstruction for nearly eight years and there had been amazing strides in their progress considering that the humongous city had once been nothing more than fiend infested ruins. There still remained, however, small pockets of slums and ruins that left parts of the city looking just as desolate and crumbling as it had for a millennium.

"Wow," Calli's soft exclamation drew Lumina from her rumination. "It's beautiful…."

"Yeah," Lumina agreed just as breathlessly, peeking around her cousin's shoulder to get a better look at the motorized city. They were so busy gawking over the view that they nearly collided with an airship flying towards them at top speed.

"Calli!" Lumina shouted just in time for the Al Bhed to jerk the steering wheel upward, sending them spiraling into the air in a dizzying rotation. Just as they leveled out another airship knocked them off course, this one blaring a loud honking sound as it did so.

"Calli!" she cried again struggling to swallow the nausea rising in her throat as the airship spiraled again. "You're going against the air traffic!"

"What does that mean?!" Calli shouted back, wrenching the wheel again. "There's no such thing as air traffic!"

"There is in a city filled with airships!"

Before Calli could retort, a speedy black airship with white stripes painted along the sides came flying right for them. It swerved at the last moment, but Calli did too and in the same direction. The black airship, which was slightly larger and had gathered a much more significant amount of velocity, shoved their tiny airship aside, crushing the portside engine and sending them plunging towards New Zanarkand.

Calli's airship was equipped with one emergency parachute, but the craft was spinning so fast that neither of the girls could make a move to eject themselves and escape their apparently emanate doom. They burst through a large wooden structure that may have been used for construction on some of the larger buildings, but luckily there were no workers present to decimate as well. Calli reached down and pulled on a hidden lever near the foot pedals that Lumina had not seen before. The reverse thrusters were activated, throwing them back against the seats and forcing the back of Calli's head into Lumina's nose. Another heavy shake and lurch and the airship was finally still, having crashed against the side of a dilapidated building. Luckily, the reverse thrusters had saved them from any serious physical damage. They sat in the cockpit for a few moments, trembling with adrenaline, until the drops of blood dripping from Lumina's nose onto her pant leg brought her back to her senses. Reaching around her shaking cousin, she slammed her fist down on the button that opened the cockpit and forced her way through the entrance, tumbling clumsily into the dirty street below. She stood and brushed herself off, pinching the bridge of her nose and tilting her chin upwards, grimacing as she tasted blood in the back of her throat.

"Oh, Lumina. I'm sorry," Calli mumbled guiltily as she too exited the wreckage.

"S'ok," Lumina slurred, although the throbbing in her nose made it difficult not to feel at least a _little bit_ irritated at the Al Bhed's poor aviation skills. Calli suddenly moaned loudly as she examined the extent of the damage to her recent birthday present.

"Awwww….._Bubby's_(Poppa's) gonna kill me…."

"Worry about that later," Lumina grimaced, releasing her nose and sniffing experimentally. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, although it had left a fair amount of red stains on her pants and shirt. She looked around, trying to figure out where it was exactly that they had landed. The twisting highways and sky-high buildings they had seen upon their arrival seemed to have disappeared. Now they were surrounded by crumbling stone walls and partially flooded canals. "Looks like you stranded us in the ruins…"

"Well excuuuuse me," Calli snorted indignantly, placing her hands on her slender hips. "At least we're alive. I didn't see you doing much to help when our engine exploded!"

"Cause you wouldn't give me the wheel!" Lumina argued, rounding on her cousin. "I bet you I could have at least landed us somewhere where we could've found help!"

"What and crush civilians in the process?" the blonde retorted, her green eyes flashing angrily. "Besides, you don't even know how to pilot an airship!"

"Well neither do you by the looks of it," Lumina shot back, once again allowing her hot-head to override her better judgment. She regretted the words almost instantly, guilt welling up inside of her when she saw Calli's wounded expression. Pride stopped her from apologizing though and instead she turned her back on the Al Bhed, crossing her arms and peering into the growing darkness, struggling to control her rampant emotions in lee of formulating some sort of plan. She heard Calli pouting behind her, murmuring to herself in Al Bhed as she rummaged through the wreckage of the airship to obtain their meager belongings. A sudden shuffling noise coming from the corridor directly in front of the two girls made Lumina immediately forget her temper.

"Calli," she hissed taking a nervous step backwards.

"What?" came the tart reply from a still bitter Calli. She had obviously not heard the noise and remained unaware of the possibility of danger.

"Hand me my bag," Lumina hissed quietly, stretching out a hand while keeping her eyes peeled on the dark canal before them. Calli had caught the strain in her voice and suddenly became very pale. She leapt down from the airship and placed Lumina's travel bag in her outstretched hand, afterwards moving to stand behind her cousin fearfully. Lumina rummaged through the bag, gripping the hilt of the dagger from Vidina that she had brought as the shuffling grew louder. Faint voices began to echo along the corridor as well now. They sounded gruff and angry. Lumina held the dagger out in front of her, trying to ignore the way her hand trembled violently.

"What the 'ell was that noise?" one voice said.

"Sounded like a crash, let's check it out. Might be we could pawn some goodies off the wreck." Said another voice, deeper than the first.

"Think the pilot's alive?" That voice was female, although it was so gravelly Lumina almost mistook her for another man.

"Who cares?" said the first voice again. "If 'e is, 'e won't be for much longer."

She heard the trio chuckle darkly as their footsteps came closer. Calli whimpered quietly from behind her, clutching Lumina's shirt so tightly that her fingernails began to dig into flesh. Lumina winced but kept her focus on the canal where the bearers of the three voices finally appeared in the dim light. They were all quite a bit older than the girls, each of them dressed in rags and covered in grime and muck. The smell they gave off was so pungent that it made Lumina's nose wrinkle. One of the men, sporting a tangled brown beard, laughed loudly when he saw them shivering by the airship.

"Oi! Two little 'uns," he croaked, grinning a toothless smile.

"Ahhhh, not often you find young girls as pretty as them two walkin' round the slums on their own," the other, smaller man said taking a step towards them.

"Stay back!" Lumina warned, waving the dagger that she had no idea how to use in front of her. The trio of bums exchanged amused glances before continuing their steady approach.

"Now, now, don't get your panties in a twist. It'll be much easier on all of us if you just stand still and don't make a fuss."

Calli whimpered again, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing herself against Lumina's back. Panic began to swell within Lumina's chest, constricting her breathing and making it difficult to think. She knew she had to protect Calli; her Al Bhed cousin was little more than a child (in spite of the arguments she made to the contrary) and she had followed Lumina with blind faith. Her welfare was Lumina's responsibility. But she had no idea how to fight with the measly little blade that Vidina had given her and even if she did, how could she take on three grown, adults on her own?

_This was a mistake_, she thought to herself. _I shouldn't have left home. What was I thinking?!_

A dull roar sounded in Lumina's ears. She mistook it for the rushing of her own blood, until a heavy air vacuum filled the canals, indicating the approach of an airship. She looked up to see the familiar black and white ship that had sent them spiraling into the ruins now hovering over the scene, its landing gear extruding as it came towards them. The aircraft landed lightly, hissing as the cockpit slid open revealing the figure of a tall young man with shaggy black hair. He stepped out of the ship quite nonchalantly, taking in the scene with a small smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Sorry about that collision, ladies," he said speaking to Lumina and Calli, seemingly ignoring the trio of muggers standing nearby looking dumbfounded. "But you really should study the airways before trying to fly your own air pod in Zanarkand. It makes it painfully obvious that you're tourists, otherwise."

Lumina and Calli just blinked wordlessly at the newcomer, completely dumbstruck by his offhanded attitude. He smiled at them before turning to address the trio, his light green eyes suddenly becoming aggressive.

"Hey, Bayard. Been awhile since I've seen you around. How've you been?"

The man apparently named Bayard sneered at the boy, "How's it look like I'm doin'? Scroungin' in the ruins for goods. You seem to be pretty well off since you joined that little gang of Danika's."

"She'd let you join too if you weren't such a disgusting pig," the young man said, shrugging indifferently.

Bayard's face turned beet red underneath the grime, "What'd you just say you little punk?!"

"Well, if I'm not mistaken," the black haired boy said taking a few steps toward the trio. "Looks to me like you were going to take whatever valuables these two young ladies might have and then…well it would make sense if you just went ahead and had your way with them after that, huh? Am I wrong?"

"Kole, you little bastard!" Bayard shouted charging forward with his fists raised. The boy named Kole ducked to the side, dodging his assailants blow and retaliating with a round kick to the temple. Bayard crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Kole looked coolly at the two who were left, arching an eyebrow as if challenging them to approach. The woman turned on her heel and ran into the darkness, but the second bearded man brought out a knife from the folds of his jacket and swung wildly at Kole. He caught his assailant's wrist and twisted until the knife fell from his hand. Swinging his foot around, he kicked the man's legs out from underneath him and leaned in close to the man's terrified face.

"I don't want to catch you messing with anyone else around here, got it?" Kole smiled pleasantly, releasing the man and allowing him to scurry off into the darkness. He chuckled lightly before rounding to face the two girls who still stood frozen in place.

"Hey there," he said, waving one hand in the air amiably. "The name's Kole. Again, sorry for knocking you out of the sky. I take it you two are new around here?"

* * *

Kole's airship was only a bit larger than Calli's, but somehow they all managed to fit comfortably. As soon as they were settled within the much more high-tech ship Kole began to ask them questions. The responsibility of answering was left mainly with Lumina as Calli was too interested in examining every nook and cranny of the machine, seeming to have recovered quite quickly from their earlier scare.

"So where are you ladies from?" he asked, turning the ignition and taking the ship into the sky much more gently than Calli had. "Obviously not Zanarkand or you wouldn't have been flying backwards."

Lumina scowled, tired of having their unfamiliarity with the city used against them over and over. "I'm Lumina from Besaid. This is my cousin, Calli. She's an Al Bhed from Bikanel."

"Ah!" Kole exclaimed interestedly. "I have a buddy whose family used to live in Bikanel."

"Really?!" Calli cried, pulling her hand away from the large red button she had been about to press. "There are Al Bhed here in New Zanarkand?"

Kole seemed amused by her question, "Of course. There are races from all over Spira here. Once the city began rebuilding, people everywhere came to experience the grandeur of the City That Never Sleeps."

Calli looked at excitedly at Lumina, her enthusiasm reflected in her cousin's blue eyes.

"But you know," Kole continued, glancing at them suspiciously. "It's a little bit odd for people your age to come out here alone. Zanarkand can be a dangerous place, as you saw back in the canals. You have any family here with you?"

"We're not kids you know," Lumina insisted stubbornly, choosing to ignore his question about their parentage. "I turn sixteen next month."

Kole snorted loudly, earning a poisonous glare from her.

"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled, waving his hand again. "I shouldn't make fun. Zanarkand has a lot of young people hanging around. But, most of them are orphans or live on the streets in poverty."

Lumina's eyebrows furrowed as she considered his words. Zanarkand was often advertised as a rising metropolis and a safe place to start a new life without following the outdated practices of New Yevon. To hear that that there were parts of it that had become so impoverished that it's people lived in the gutters made Lumina's skin crawl.

"So…You didn't answer my question," Kole said drawing her from her thoughts. "Do you guys have families? Why did you come to Zanarkand alone?"

"No offense," Lumina said crossing her arms over her chest. "But you're a complete stranger to us. What makes you think I should trust you with such personal information?"

"Well I did just save your lives," he muttered, glancing sideways at her. Lumina pursed her lips irritably. Calli tapped her shoulder lightly and drew closer, whispering in her ear, "Why don't we just tell him? He did help us and what was the point of coming all this way if we don't tell anyone what we're here for?"

Lumina sighed, Calli had a point, this boy had saved them and he seemed trustworthy enough; nonetheless his flippant attitude made her want to leave him floundering.

"Our families are back home," she began, meeting Kole's light green gaze with as much fortitude as she could muster. "We came to Zanarkand to start an official Blitzball team."

Kole's eyebrows twitched before coming together in a frown, "Wait, seriously? That's why you came to the city?"

Lumina nodded firmly, she would not let this stranger's opinion dampen her resolve. Kole stared at her as if she had pyreflies leaking from her ears, finally he shook his head lightly and turned his gaze to look back out of the cockpit.

"Sorry to rain on your parade, but there's no way that's gonna happen."

"Why not?" Lumina found her temper flaring again in spite of the effort made to keep herself under control. "You think just because we're young that no one will want to listen to what we have to say?"

"Well, yes." Kole stated simply. "But that's not the only reason. Zanarkand isn't in the best place right now. Starting a sports team is the last thing on the mind of the City Council."

Lumina scowled, "What nobody here cares about Blitzball? No way that's true. The game has been important to Spira for centuries."

Kole shook his head again, for once his calm features appearing strained, "No, lots of people love Blitz here. My friends and I play for fun all the time….But it's…"

He stopped, flicking a few switches on the dashboard and taking his hands off of the steering wheel as the airship began to descend. Lumina peered out the window and saw what appeared to be another area of the ruins. There was a desolate plaza decorated with a few bits of machinery and the odd cargo box here or there. Against the south side of the small plaza was a broken looking building, however Lumina saw a soft yellow glow emanating from within.

"Look, don't worry about all that right now," Kole said, picking up his sentence again as the airship set down in the middle of the plaza. "Just come in and meet the gang. Dani's always picking up orphans and outsiders. I'm sure she'll be willing to help a couple of lost souls like yourselves. Just remember to be polite."

He gave Lumina a poignant look as he said this. She opened her mouth to retort but he unlocked the cockpit without waiting for a response and began to stroll across the courtyard, hands tucked into his pockets. Calli shrugged when Lumina looked to her for explanation and scrambled out of the ship as well, scurrying after Kole's whose long strides made it difficult for the young girl to keep up. Lumina took a steadying breath, touching the necklace at her throat before following her two companions.

* * *

The inside of the ruined building was a lot homier than Lumina had expected it to be. There was a thick, plush carpet on the floor and the mismatched furniture that decorated the room all looked soft and welcoming. The walls were decorated with symbols and paintings of people, nature, and musical notes. A delicious smell wafted from the back room, where Lumina could hear pots and pans banging and voices laughing boisterously. For a moment she felt the sharp pain of melancholy for her cabin in Besaid, but she pushed it away as Kole began to call out names.

"Guys, come on out! I found some newbies!"

One by one Lumina saw faces appear from behind doors packed in the narrow hallway to the left of the main room. Three young teenagers made their way towards Kole, eyeing Calli and Lumina with wary apprehension.

"Hey guys. Meet Lumina and Calli. They're new to Zanarkand."

The two who seemed a bit older than Lumina appeared to be twins. One was a boy with long dark hair that hung over one of his light blue eyes. The other was a very pretty girl with short brown hair and long, dainty lashes. She smiled at them, revealing dimples in the middle of her rosy cheeks.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, bowing her head politely. "My name is Ambri. This is my brother Pax."

Pax grunted, his light eyes flickering briefly in their direction before he ducked his head, hiding behind his hair again.

"Calli," Kole said drawing the Al Bhed's attention. "This is my buddy I was telling you about, Kittan."

Kole reached out for the third boy that had approached, grabbing him by his collar and dragging him forward. He rubbed Kittan's short blonde hair affectionately, snapping the rubber band that held the large goggles in place on the boy's forehead.

"Aww, you tellin' girls about me?" Kittan teased, shoving Kole's hands away and focusing his swirling green eyes on the two girls. "The pleasure is all mine ladies."

He bowed deeply, looking up after a pause and winking at Calli, "Always nice to meet another Al Bhed. You can call me Kitt by the way."

A light blush colored Calli's cheeks and for once she seemed speechless. Kole's shoved Kitt's shoulder, rescuing Calli from any further embarrassment. "So, where's Danika?"

"She's in the back with Duncan," Kitt said sticking out his tongue. "Ever since he got that job as chef in the Upper Ring, she can't keep her hands off him."

Kole lifted his eyebrows, "Ladies like a man who can cook, eh?"

"Dani seems to," Ambri added cheerfully.

"Dually noted," Kitt smirked gesturing with his hands as if he were writing in a personal log. "Cooking is sexy."

"Well, I'll go get her," Kole said chuckling at Kitt's enthusiasm. "We've got to get her approval on the newbies."

He disappeared down the long hallway leading to the back where Lumina could still he the metal bag of kitchenware. The group of teenagers stood in the main room silently as a heavy awkwardness fell over them. Kitt stood grinning dumbly at the two of them, Ambri smiled softly although her eyes betrayed her nervousness, Pax made no attempt to appear anything other than bored and Lumina suddenly grew very interested in a lace on her boot.

"Sooooo," Kitt finally tried to break the silence. "What brings you to Zanarkand?"

Before Lumina could explain their story again a loud voice came from the hall and heavy footsteps signaled the return of Kole and whoever it was who was named Danika. The woman who appeared around the corner was not what Lumina had expected when Kole had described a kindly homebody who took in stray waifs off the street. Danika was a very tall, very toned woman with ample breasts to match her ample size. Her lips were cherry red and her eyes a molten gold. Her black hair was pulled into a high ponytail, but shaved on the sides so that it resembled a mohawk. Her skin was a rich chocolate color, a shade that Lumina had only seen present in denizens of Kilika Island.

From the moment she stepped around the corner, it became obvious that she was not in a pleasant mood; obviously perturbed that Kole had distracted her from whatever it was she had been doing in the kitchen. She approached Lumina and Calli in three long strides; Ambri, Pax, and Kitt scattered as she passed. Lumina was forced to look up as Danika came face to face with them. She was taller than Lulu had been and seemed to somehow command even more respect than the somber Black Mage had.

"You two orphans?" Danika asked sharply, her golden eyes seeming to burn through them as she spoke.

"Er, no," Lumina stuttered, struggling to find her voice. "We, uh, we're here to uh…um…"

"We're gonna start a Blitzball team!" Calli suggested helpfully, nudging her cousin in the ribs. The dubious look Danika gave them made Lumina's temper flare once again. The tall woman was making it very difficult to follow Kole's advice about courtesy.

"I told them it was a bad idea," Kole offered quietly, attempting unsuccessfully to gather Danika's attention.

"Not a bad idea," the dark woman muttered. "Just a stupid one. People come here from all over Spira hoping to make their ridiculous daydreams come true. But this place isn't what the Councilors say it is. It's a fiend eat fiend world out here and two little girls who don't know how to take care of themselves aren't going to make it out alive let alone manage to somehow found a National sports team."

"You don't know that!" Lumina found herself shouting. She was tired of having the mission she had set out to achieve crushed by the dour outlooks of these pitiable Zanarkanians. Her father had always encouraged her to follow her dreams and do what her heart told her to. Perhaps it was a naïve way to look at the world, but she wasn't about to let Danika make her feel like a fool. "You don't know even me! Don't tell me what I can or can't do."

Danika's golden eyes were burning with unrestrained indignation now and Lumina swallowed nervously in spite of her previous bravado.

"Alright then," Danika said in a calm voice that contrasted her dangerous expression. "Tell me, just who is it that you think you are?"

Lumina drew back her shoulders, fists clenched at her sides. "My name is Lumina. I'm the daughter of former High Summoner Yuna and the Besaid Aurochs Ace Blitzball player Tidus."

Kole's eyebrows lifted and Kittan's already large green eyes grew somehow wider but Danika's face remained the same.

"Fantastic," she murmured. "My name's Danika, daughter of Adela and Drystan from Kilika Island. My mother worked as a maid at the inn and my father was a bum who begged on the streets. But does my unfortunate heritage make you more worthy than me?"

Lumina was left speechless as she realized how privileged her boasting had made her sound. Danika gave her one final glare before turning on her heel and heading back towards the kitchen, throwing her final comments over her shoulder, "You and your friend can rest here for one night. I've never turned down a visitor before no matter how impudent they might be. But I expect you to be gone in the morning. You don't belong out here and I don't care to use my own funds to feed a self-righteous brat like yourself." With that she disappeared around the corner, leaving the room in absolute silence. Lumina felt tears stinging the corner of her eyes and she scowled furiously in an attempt to stop them from falling. Danika's words had hurt, but the worst part of hearing them was that Lumina realized they were true. Nonetheless, Kole and the others appeared to feel apologetic for their denmother's behavior and they offered the two girls multiple blankets and pillows, to make their stay in the living room more comfortable.

After Calli and Lumina had settled, the other three drifted off to their separate rooms, leaving only Kole behind who knelt by the couch Lumina sat on and looked at her remorsefully. "I'm sorry about Dani. She can be a little rough around the edges."

Lumina nodded but didn't respond otherwise; she was waiting for him to say _I told you so_. But the words did not come. Instead, Kole stood, rubbing the back of his shaggy head as he did so.

"Well, good night. I'll take you guys to the ferry station in the morning."

Lumina watched him go, stunned by his courtesy. She turned to Calli but found that her young cousin had already fallen into a deep sleep on the large, red armchair next to her. She lay back against the plush pillows that Ambri had offered and closed her eyes, praying that sleep would come. When she did finally rest, she dreamed of home.

_Seven-year-old Lumina sat in the middle of their cabin, playing with a plush Moogle doll that Lulu had given her. Yuna sat across from her, battling Lumina's Moogle toy with a Cactaur doll of her own. She looked up from their game when the sound of pounding footsteps came from just outside the cabin's entrance. Tidus burst inside, breathing heavily as if he had run all the way from the beach. Lumina looked up, startled by her father's sudden entrance and concerned that there might be trouble, until she saw the enormous smile lighting up his face._

"_Tidus," Yuna said, standing and moving to stand by his side. "Is everything all right? What did Baralai and Nooj want from you?"_

"_Yuna," he gasped grasping her shoulders as he spoke. "It's incredible! You'll never believe what their plans are this time!"_

"_Well, what is it? Tell me!"_

"_They're going to rebuild Zanarkand!" he cried, excitement making his blue eyes shine like pyreflies._

"_What?" her mother asked, obviously taken aback by his statement, but Lumina could hear a twinge of exhilaration in her voice too._

"_They're rebuilding it!" he shouted again, not doing a much better job of explaining himself. "Nooj was saying how he feels that Spira's been in a perfect Calm for such a long time now that it's time we start taking steps to make it like it was before. The first step is to rebuild Zanarkand and make it the metropolis it was a thousand years ago. They want my help, of course, since I'm the only one around who can remember it."_

_Yuna seemed speechless, Lumina wasn't quite sure what was going on but her father's obvious excitement made her happy anyway. Tidus took Yuna's hands in his own, his enthusiasm turning into something much softer and more subtle. His voice was gentle when he spoke again, "I can finally take you to see the sunrise. Just like I promised all those years ago."_

_He leaned forward and kissed her softly. Lumina stuck out her tongue and groaned in disgust at the display of affection. Tidus stepped away from Yuna, laughing and crossed the room to take Lumina in his arms. He swung her around in the air, making her giggle as he said, "Hear that squirt? We're gonna visit Zanarkand! That's where I grew up you know?"_

_Lumina squeaked as he tossed her in the air, catching just in time and placing her on his shoulder. "We'll go see a game played in the stadium of course! Zanarkand was so big it had two Blitzball teams, can you believe that?" Lumina giggled again in response. "Then we'll head to the North Sector's Plaza and visit the hundreds of food vendors that line the streets! Then we can go to the arcade and finally, the beach!"_

_Yuna was sitting at the dining table now, chin resting in her palm and a wistful smile on her face as she watched Tidus ramble on. Tidus adjusted Lumina in his arms and poked her ribs playfully._

"_I'll take you both to see the sea, before the sunrise. The lights go out one by one, the stars fade, then the horizon glows almost like it's on fire. It's kinda rose colored. First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter, till everything glows! It's really pretty."_

_He tapped the tip of Lumina's nose and grinned at her, "I know you'd like it."_

"_Papa!" Lumina cried, her brows furrowing with disapproval. "You made Mama sad."_

_Tidus looked around to see Yuna, who had tears flowing down her cheeks in spite of the smile that still played on her lips. He chuckled lightly to himself, crossing the room with Lumina still in his arms. "I guess I have a bad habit of doing that huh?"_

_He set Lumina down in Yuna's lap smiling as she gathered Lumina in a snug embrace. She still wasn't entirely sure why it was so exciting to talk about Zanarkand, but both of her parents seemed so happy that it was impossible not to feel giddiness too. The warmth of her mother's embrace made her yawn loudly and Tidus scooped her up, grinning when she blinked blearily at him._

"_Alright, squirt. Time for bed. Your Mama and I have a few more things to _discuss_ about Zanarkand, kay?" he stressed the word 'discuss' and winked at her mother, but Lumina didn't understand why._

"_Tidus!" Yuna said, shooting him a cautioning glance. He laughed and shrugged innocently, "Whaaaat? Nothing inappropriate about talking, is there?"_

_Yuna shook her head disapprovingly, but Lumina managed to catch the smile her mother was trying to hide. Tidus took her into her room and tucked her into the mounds of quilts mounted on her bed._

"_Night, squirt." He raised his fist for a fist bump, to which Lumina happily obliged and then ruffled her hair before turning to leave._

"_Night, Papa," she whispered after him, already seeing the brilliant and colorful lights of Zanarkand as she drifted off to sleep._

* * *

Thanks again! Until next time...:)


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